Volunteer Positions  

Would you like an opportunity to put your faith into practice by serving our clients or providing assistance to our staff? Have you recently retired and are looking to use the skills you have, but in a flexible environment that meets your needs? Are you in high school or college and would like to enhance your school work by performing the jobs for which you are learning? Or are you a parent who would like to teach your child(ren) about giving back?

For these reasons and more, we would like to invite you to on of our next scheduled Volunteer Orientations: 6:00 pm- 8:00 pm
CSSMV Center for Families, 1046 Brown Street in Dayton.

Orientation Schedule:
2010 - July 27, October 26
2011 - January 25, April 26, July 26, October 25

However, if you are not available on these dates, individual orientations are available.

Click on one of the links below to jump to that section. 

1. Spotlight Volunteer Area: CHIPRA / Senior Outreach / Handyman / Day Care / Refugee Resettlement / Recycler
2. Volunteer Opportunities at our Eckerle Administration Center - Riverview: Administration
3. Volunteer Opportunities at our Brown Street Center For Families Office: Erma's House Family Visitation
4. Volunteer Opportunities at other locations: Senior Visits / Respite Care / Refugee Resettlement
5. Family Volunteer Opportunities: Literacy/Reading / Enironmental / Opening Heart & Home

1. Spotlight Volunteer Area:

CHIPRA (Children's Health Insurance Program): This new volunteer position assists staff in two ways:

• Marketing - We need to get the word out in Montgomery, Preble, Darke and Miami Counties regarding the CHIPRA program.  We could also use help in performing research and making contacts throughout the 4-county area.
• Assisting Clients/Attending Events - Assist consumers in determining eligibility and completing applications to enroll in the Children's Health Insurance Program; attend events at local YMCA's, schools and churches to assist with sign-ups and letting people know about the program.

Senior Outreach Volunteer: This new volunteer position in Miami County provides regular visits and/or calls to seniors on the Care Coordination Waiting List to provide companionship and support.  Such support could be: phone calls, errand services, and/or visiting.
 
Handyman: This new volunteer position in Montgomery County would assist our Dayton locations with handyman ("honey do list") issues, such as changing lightbulbs, touch-up painting, gardening, fixing broken furniture, etc.

Volunteers Need for
Senior Care Programs
Click the link above
for complete details!

Most volunteer opportunities are for the Montgomery County area, except the Respite Care Program, which is in Greene County. Unless otherwise indicated, many of our volunteer opportunities are flexible.

For more information, contact:
Cathy Guerrant
937-223-7217 x1146
Lynn Adams
937-223-7217 x1104
volunteer@cssmv.org

Internship/Practicum Application

If you are a college student and would like to complete your internship or practicum at our agency, please complete the above application and e-mail it to adamsl@cssmv.org.  Students are encouraged to apply at least a quarter/semester in advance of the need.

Day Care Center: Located on the grounds of the Veterans Administration Center, the Miami Valley Family Care Center serves 150+ children ages 2 ½ to 10 years old. Must pass a background check (paid by the agency), and receive a TB skin test and medical release.

Classroom Subs: A great volunteer opportunity for college students, former teachers or just anyone who enjoys spending time with children and takes an interest in education.

Administrative Assistant: Volunteers answer calls at the front desk, assist and greet parents, children and guests; and may also perform administrative tasks, if able. Volunteers are needed Mon-Fri, 6am-6pm.

Refugee Resettlement: Volunteers assist refugees when they first arrive in the U.S. The refugees assisted are coming to CSSMV through the US Government’s Refugee Resettlement Program.

Housing and Household Goods Team:

• Volunteers who have trucks or other large vehicles are needed to transport donations of household items.
• Volunteers can assist with setting up houses for new arrivals.
• Volunteers could work with their organization or church to gather items needed to set up the refugee’s house, including pots/pans, towels, sheets, dressers, etc.

Volunteer Recycler: Help us to recycle, especially paper. Pick up paper 2-4 times per month and take it to a paper recycle bin, easily found at schools and Kroger’s. A great opportunity for someone/family who cares about the environment!

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2. Volunteer Opportunities at our 922 W. Riverview Ave. - Eckerle Administration Center

Administration: Volunteers answer calls at the front desk (which serves as our Dayton locations operator), assist clients, greet agency visitors. Volunteers perform administrative tasks, such as data input, filing, copying, shredding, etc. Volunteers are needed on Monday from 1:00-5:00pm; Wednesday any time between 8:30-5:00; Tuesday, Thursday, & Friday 8:30-1:00.

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3. Volunteer Opportunities at our 1046 Brown Street - Center for Families Office

Erma’s House Family Visitation Center: Erma’s House was created to assist families that have difficulty interacting in a non-threatening manner and is structured to provide safety to both the custodial parents and the children. The need for supervised visitation may be due to issues related to divorce or separation, protection-restraining orders between parties, threats, child abuse or neglect issues, safety concerns or other visitation issues where a neutral setting would increase a family’s level of comfort or safety.

Volunteer Visit Monitor: Volunteers provide supervision of scheduled visits (visits are generally 1-2 ½ hours) and exchanges. Initial training of 10 hours is required. Ongoing training is provided throughout the year.

Erma’s House is open Sunday afternoons between 1:00 - 6:00 pm, Tuesday and Friday (3:00 – 6:00 p.m.) and Wednesday and Thursday (3:00 – 8:00 p.m.). Some daytime volunteer hours may be available to assist families with preschoolers.

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4. Volunteer Opportunities at other locations

Senior Visiting Volunteer: Be a weekly visitor to offer companionship and socialization to an isolated senior in Montgomery County, while helping with small chores such as writing letters, watering plants, or making phone calls. Time commitment is 1-2 hours each.

Respite Care Volunteer: Provide respite and support for caregivers who care for dependent elderly adults at home. Volunteers stay with elderly clients and meet their needs while caregivers take a break. Time commitment is 3-4 hours weekly. Dates and times are negotiable with clients. Fifteen hours of training is provided.

Refugee Resettlement: Volunteers assist refugees when they first arrive in the U.S. The refugees assisted are coming to CSSMV through the US Government’s Refugee Resettlement Program.

Refugee Resettlement Program is in need of volunteers for the following:

Volunteers to shop for household items and groceries for newly arriving Refugee families.  Prefer week day shoppers.

Volunteers to assist Refugees with online employment applications, resume writing, transport to interviews, and other job preparation tasks.

Resettlement and Acculturation Volunteer: Provide tutoring, job coaching, transportation for new arrivals to appointments, assistance with enrolling children in school, locating housing, and assisting with acculturation.

 

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5. Family Volunteer Opportunities:

Environmental

• Help out a low-income family or senior citizen by cleaning up, painting, raking, and doing minor repairs.
• Plant flowers and clean trash from the landscaping of CSSMV office buildings.
• Organize a community “house cleaning” day or week and have people donate furniture and other gently used household items to the refugee resettlement program.
• Wipe down walls and wash windows.
• Recycle cans to raise money for Erma’s House.

Opening Your Heart and Home

• Help newly arrived refugee families celebrate their “First Thanksgiving” by collecting kitchen supplies, toiletries, school supplies and toys.
• Help refugee families prepare for school by collecting school supplies and putting them in backpacks.
• Make refugee “Welcome to America” kits containing toiletries, such as a comb, brush, toothpaste, toothbrush, lip chap, shampoo/conditioner, toilet paper, etc.
• Ask your dentist to donate toothbrushes, toothpaste, or dental floss and donate them (refugee resettlement, pantry).
• Clean and re-stock the food pantry.
• Prepare food baskets for needy families for Thanksgiving and donate them to the food pantry.
• Organize a neighborhood food drive and donate the non-perishable food items to the food pantry.
• Collect teddy bears, purchase toys, or make a craft item for the day care children to receive when Santa Claus visits every year. Or donate such items to the Santa Shop program.
• Adopt a family for Christmas through our Holiday Help-A-Family program.
• Make videos or cassettes for children in our programs, such as Erma’s House, mental health, or the day care center. Videos or cassettes can include singing, fingerplays, or reading.
• Do a puppet show or sing songs for the day care center.
• Make directions for and supply items to make simple craft projects.
• Make word search and seek & finds, making sure to talk about positive topics, such as nature, holidays, geography, etc.
• Make math puzzles to help a child develop or enhance their math skills.

Other Ideas:
Help with mailings – putting labels on, stuffing, and putting stamps on envelopes, or labels on newsletters

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